How Paris Baguette Supports Franchisees Through the New Café Opening Process

Paris Baguette, the global bakery café franchise known for their fresh-baked goods, handcrafted coffee drinks and impeccable guest experience, is growing rapidly. With over 180 bakery cafés across the U.S. and thousands around the world, they have built a strong presence and clear reputation as the go-to neighborhood bakery café. While much of this can be attributed to the day-to-day operations of local cafés, the scaffolding behind the daily success of a location is expansive. 

“Cultivating the bakery café experience our guests crave starts when we begin the development process,” said Brian Egan, vice president of development. “We are committed to making the process as smooth as possible by ensuring franchisees are well-equipped to launch, and we do this by maintaining a robust, integrated support structure.”

A Team of Experts Available From Day One

For Paris Baguette owners, the development process begins when they sign the franchise agreement. Within 24 hours, new franchisees receive a call from their respective new café development manager (NCDM), the person who will serve as their main point of contact throughout the entire process.

“This person will be with the franchisee from day one until the café opens, which can be a nine to 10-month process,” Egan said. “We jest that we’re going to become the owner’s best friend, but this approach really does ensure that the franchisee has a dedicated resource throughout the entire process.”

Establishing this relationship allows franchisees to continue communicating with a single primary contact, regardless of which stage of development they may be in. Rather than “handing a franchisee off” to another team at each step along the way, the NCDM stays connected. If a franchisee has any questions or concerns, the NCDM can either address them directly or refer the owner to the correct source, but there will never be a question of who the franchisee’s first contact should be.

While franchisees have a direct line to their NCDM, the entire development team also works within the FranConnect platform, sharing a comprehensive list that includes every single task that will need to be completed ahead of a successful launch. From steps as large as beginning construction to something as small as ordering a filing cabinet, the internal system keeps track of everything so that nothing is late or overlooked.

The NCDM works hand-in-hand with a Paris Baguette construction project manager (CPM) who focuses on ensuring the café meets all of Paris Baguette’s required standards. Egan notes that, especially for franchisees who have no previous experience in construction, knowing that there is an expert paying close attention to the development of the café is very reassuring.

Preparing for Opening Day and Beyond

Once all of the checklist items are complete and the café is built out, the New Café Opening Team steps in. Typically composed of five to eight members, this team provides hands-on support during the critical opening period, assisting with various operational aspects including baking, sandwich making and guest service training.

“This team shows up, on average, four days prior to opening, and they stay with the franchisee for seven to 10 days,” Egan said. “During this time, there is someone assigned to every position in the café. There is a trainer working alongside each cafe employee to provide guidance and in-the-moment support as the local team hones its skills. This, in combination with all the steps we track in FranConnect, ensures everything is addressed prior to opening. Then we also offer post-opening support.”

After the grand opening day, franchisees continue to receive support from the corporate team to ensure marketing, supply chain and daily operations are running smoothly.

“Our approach to supporting franchisees is comprehensive and personalized, offering our owners a significant advantage over would-be competitors. Funneling our energy toward effective communication and timely, accurate support minimizes the challenges associated with the opening process to create the best possible franchisee experience,” Egan said. “I came into Paris Baguette when we had 77 cafés, and I plan to support development as we reach 1,000 cafés and beyond.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com or  https://1851franchise.com/parisbaguette.